Sinhala figure of speech: නමින් කපුරු හාමි නමුත් කට ගඳලු 
Type: [විශ්වාස][ප්‍රපංච][වාර්තා]
Literal translation: His mouth stinks, though his name is “ Kapuru-Hamy.”
Meaning: A name is only a label. Good or bad fortune does not come from names, but from one’s deeds.
Context: Once upon a time, the Blessed One, the Teacher of the Three Worlds, equal among all Buddhas, was dwelling at the Jetavana monastery. There, addressing the monks—especially one called by the name “Nāmasiddhika” (the one who insists on the significance of names)—he told this story of the past. There was once a certain youth who entered the Buddhist Order. His name happened to be Pāpaka, which means “wicked” or “sinful.” When his teacher and preceptor called him, they would naturally say:“Come here, Pāpaka. Do this, Pāpaka.” Hearing this again and again, the monk thought to himself: “The name Pāpaka is an unlucky, inauspicious name, equal to being branded with evil. I should get myself a more auspicious name.” So he went to his teacher and said:
“Venerable Sir, my name is inauspicious. Please give me another name.” But the elder replied:“Brother, a name is nothing but a convention, a mere designation. It has no real essence. Be content with the name you have.” Yet the young monk persisted, again and again requesting a new name. Because of this, he came to be known among the monks as Nāmasiddhika—the one obsessed with names. One day, the monks gathered in the assembly hall and began talking:
“Friends, this monk wants a new, auspicious name. Is it right to make much fuss over names?” The Blessed One entered and asked:“Monks, what are you discussing?”When they told him, he said:“Monks, this is not the first time this man has been a Nāmasiddhika. He was the same in the past.” And the Buddha told this story of the past: Long ago, when King Brahmadatta reigned in Benares, the Bodhisatta was a famous teacher with 500 students in his academy. Among his students was one named Pāpaka.The other students, in their teasing, would always say: “Sit here, Pāpaka. Go there, Pāpaka.”Hearing this constantly, the youth thought:“My name is unlucky. I will get another name.”He went to his teacher and said: “Master, my name is inauspicious. Please give me another name.”The teacher replied:“My boy, a name is nothing but a designation. There is no essence in a name. But if you wish, go out on your travels, and when you find an auspicious name that pleases your heart, return and I shall give it to you.” Delighted, the youth set off. As he journeyed, he came to a town where he saw people carrying a corpse to the cremation ground. He asked, “Who was this man?” They replied, “His name was Jīvaka (‘the Living One’).”The student thought: “Even Jīvaka, ‘the Living One,’ has died. Then surely life and death are not determined by a name. A name is mere designation. To think otherwise is foolish.”And he passed on. Farther along, he saw a slave woman being beaten with a stick by her master. He asked,“Why are you beating her?” “Because she neglected her work,” they said. “And what is her name?” he asked. “She is called Dhanapāla (‘Protector of Wealth’).” The student reflected: “Even one called ‘Protector of Wealth’ suffers poverty and blows. A name is mere designation. To think otherwise is foolish.” And he went on. On another road, he met a man who was lost. He asked him,
“Friend, what is your name?” The man replied, “I am Paṇṭhaka (‘the Traveller’). But I am lost.”The student thought: “Even one named ‘Traveller’ can lose his way. A name is mere designation. To think otherwise is foolish.” At last, having seen all this, the youth returned to his master and said:
“Master, I have travelled far. I saw a man named ‘Living One’ who died, a woman named ‘Protector of Wealth’ who was beaten in poverty, and a man named ‘Traveller’ who lost his way. Therefore, I have realized that a name is nothing but a designation. Real success and failure come only from one’s own deeds, not from one’s name. I want no other name. I will keep my original one.”The teacher, the Bodhisatta, said to his pupils: “You see, this young man has returned wiser. He now understands that names are empty sounds. It is our actions (karma) that bring results.” The Blessed One concluded: “Monks, the youth named Pāpaka in that story was the same Nāmasiddhika monk of today. The great teacher then was myself.”